


Dance With the Devil

by Janie94



Series: Love Is a Battle Field [1]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Canon Compliant, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Unrequited Love, tons of götzeus mentions because apparently I can't write a football fic without them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-23 14:52:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7467558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janie94/pseuds/Janie94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One day after training Manuel and Jérôme are arguing whether Thomas and Robert are in a secret relationship or not.<br/>Thomas decides to play a prank on the team and convinces Robert to tag along. Things don't go exactly as planned...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hate what my recent bursts of inspiration have done to my sanity, but oh well... ;)  
> This one was once again intended to be a cute, light one-shot that ended being slightly bigger and slightly more serious (like always). It's probably going to be three or four chapters long, that's it.

 

** Dance With the Devil **

 

Thomas knows he can be exertive sometimes; Manuel tends to tell him that on a daily basis. But seriously, he’s a saint compared to Pep. At least that’s what he is thinking when his coach announces that Thomas should do some more penalty training after his recent failures. Their training today has already been exhausting enough, goddammit!

He bites his lip to keep from saying it out loud and trudges over to the goal. Manuel is already getting into position while the rest of the team leaves the training ground.

“Thirty shots,” Pep says calmly. “And don’t think about cheating, I’ll find out anyway.”

Thomas watches the other players leave the field and tries hard not to be angry. After all he’s brought this upon himself with all his missed penalties. 

He picks up the ball closest to him and places it on the spot, all the while glaring at it like it has personally offended him. 

After the first failed try – which he aimed for the bottom right corner – he notices that Manuel isn’t the only one who has stayed with him.

Robert is standing on the sideline and watching him carefully.

“You don’t have to wait up for me,” he exclaims.

Robert ignores him and walks over. “You’re overthinking your shot. Don’t try to outsmart the goalkeeper by delaying it so much, you’re just going to waste the power of your run-up.” He catches the ball Manuel tossed at him and places it before Thomas again. “Don’t worry so much about feinting. If you put enough power in your shot, the ball will hit the net before the goalkeeper has time to lift a finger.”

Thomas grins amusedly. “Now you’re exaggerating.”

Robert shrugs before putting a hand on Thomas’ chest and gently pushing him out of the way. “Allow me to show you.”

The younger man watches carefully while Manuel gets into position.

Robert takes his shot swiftly without any hesitation. Manuel gets the corner right, but like Robert said, it’s too late to catch the ball.

Robert turns back to Thomas with a smug grin.

Thomas scowls. “I hate it when you’re right.”

“I doubt that because then you’d always have to hate me,” Robert responds playfully but becomes serious right after. “Come on now, give it another try.”

In the end Thomas has to admit that his extra training unit was more fun than he expected, mainly because Robert takes his concerns very seriously and helps him work around them, even if it means having to manhandle Thomas into the right positions.

When they’re done, most of their teammates have finished showering and are watching them from the sidelines. When Thomas passes them, he also sees Pep standing there, giving him a satisfied nod before stopping Robert by the arm and talking to him silently.

Thomas gets into the shower instantly and finishes in record time. When he leaves the bathroom, Robert is coming over to him. “Philipp wants to talk to you.”

Thomas nods and starts walking to the exit, wondering what his captain might want from him. He has taken not more than ten steps when he suddenly hears Manuel laughing loudly.

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

It’s coming from the room to his right and Thomas stops in his tracks.

“Oh, come on, Manu, don’t tell me that thought has never crossed your mind.” That is definitely Jérôme. Thomas changes direction and has his hand on the knob of the door which has been left ajar when Manuel’s answer makes him freeze.

“Thomas doesn’t swing that way.”

“What makes you so sure of that?” Jérôme asks and he sounds absolutely serious. “Just because you’ve never seen him with a man before?”

Thomas frowns in confusion and wonders what lead Jérôme to the assumption that he’s dating a man. Of course it’s not the craziest thing he could have come up with, but Jérôme doesn’t sound like he’s making a joke.

Manuel seems to be insecure now. “We’ve been friends for years now. He would have told me.”

“Maybe he didn’t know it himself. Perhaps Robert is the first man he’s dating. It would explain why they haven’t told us about their relationship yet.”

Thomas has to bite his lip to keep from breaking out into laughter. Him and Robert? Has Jérôme gone mad?

Manuel’s reply is just as surprising though. “Well, they’ve always had a special connection. It’s possible that it transformed into something more.”

Thomas gapes. Manuel of all people should know him well enough to rule out the possibility, after all Thomas has never shown any interest in men. Of course he gets why so many people are awestruck by the Pole’s looks, it’s hard to deny that he’s beautiful. Mixed with his amazing football skills it’s a deadly combination and their team has repeatedly teased Robert for it, but it’s all been in good humor up to now.

His teammates can’t be seriously thinking that he and Robert are screwing each other behind their backs, right?

His thoughts are interrupted when he hears the sound of footsteps behind him and he walks away from the door, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. 

He’s heard enough. Yet he can’t stop thinking about it. 

He doesn’t mind if they suspect him of being into men, but why Robert of all people?! Sure, that guy is beautiful and they both hit it off right from the start, but otherwise?

He remembers that Mario once told him that he makes Robert smile in a special way. Maybe that’s part of the reason?

_But him and Robert?!_

Thomas contemplates the possibility for a very brief moment; just a second where he imagines the reactions of their team if they  _were_ together.

That small moment is enough to let an idea form in his head.

Right from the start Thomas knows it’s absolutely crazy. Which is exactly why he decides to put his plan into action. And it’s not like  _he_ ’s the one who jumped to hilarious conclusions. So why not make use of all that gossip for a little while longer?

He turns on his heels and almost bumps into Philipp who has been coming up from behind.

“Hey, Thomas, I thought-“

“I’m sorry, but can we talk about this later? I need to find Robert first,” he interrupts the defender apologetically.

“Okay,” Philipp says with a frown and Thomas continues walking, very aware of the fact that Jérôme, who is leaning against the next door, gives Manuel a knowing smirk.

Trying hard to hold back his grin, Thomas walks back into the bathroom. It’s empty except a tall figure that is currently wrapping a towel around his waist.

“Robert!” he exclaims and the older man looks up at Thomas’ barely contained excitement.

“I know that face. So whom are you playing a hoax on now?”

Of course Robert has seen right through him. Thomas wonders whether he’s just too easy to read or Robert is just too good at it. He suspects it’s a bit of both.

“On everyone,” he replies. “But I need your help and I’m not sure if you’re going to say _Yes_.”

Robert eyes him warily. “Okay, shoot.”

Thomas takes a deep breath before spitting it out in one go. “Some of our teammates seem to be thinking that you and me are a thing. So I thought why not give them a bit more to talk about.”

Thomas knows that most people would flip him off for even considering that, but he’s not talking to anyone. This is Robert.

The Pole thinks about it for a moment before an amused glint appears in his eyes. “So you want to pretend that we’re a couple?”

Thomas cringes at the term, it sounds too serious, too final. “More like boyfriends who are hiding the fact that they’re fucking each other, but yes, that’s the idea.”

Roberts laughs softly. “Sometimes I wonder how you come up with those things.”

“Is that a _No_?” Thomas asks and tries not to sound disappointed.

Robert arches his eyebrow. “Did you hear me say  _No_ ? Of course I’m in. Let’s give them something to talk about.”


	2. Chapter 2

They start their grand plan the day after.

Thomas finds lame excuses to be at Robert’s side during most of their training, but doesn’t go further for now. Being subtle isn’t exactly his greatest strength, but he can try. His constant presence near Robert doesn’t go unnoticed. He can feel Jérôme’s eyes burning through his skull from behind and Manuel is giving him strange looks as well. 

After their training Thomas walks over to Robert who is rummaging through his locker. He tries to act like he doesn’t notice Manuel standing right behind him when he talks to Robert. “Are you free tonight?”

Robert smiles before turning towards him, his eyes dancing with delight. “Actually I am. Do you have something in mind?” His voice is like velvet and Thomas has to admit that Robert is a damn good actor if he wants to be. It throws him off a bit, so his answer takes a second too long.

“Dinner tonight, 8 o’clock? I’m going to pick you up.”

He can see several heads whipping around to them, but lets them believe he’s too absorbed by Robert to realize it.

The Pole closes his locker and turns away from Thomas, his hand ghosting lightly across Thomas’ hip which causes the younger man to shudder at the unexpected contact.

“I’m looking forward to it.” Then he leaves the room with several eyes following him. When the door closes, they all turn to Thomas.

“What?” he asks innocently and to his surprise they leave him be. Except for Manuel.

“What are you doing?”

Thomas has a hard time keeping the smile off his face, because damn, this is working even better than he expected. Manuel misinterprets the joy on his face. “Is this what it looks like or do you have any other explanation why you’re…”

Manuel is struggling with words now and Thomas gets the impression, he’s afraid of putting a label on the situation. “What is this?” The blond eventually ends up asking.

“What is what?” Thomas replies and he feels almost sorry for his friend’s misery.

“This thing between you and Robert.”

Thomas goes with the clichéd answer. “We’re friends.”

Manuel is silent for a very long time. “Friends with benefits?”

Ha, so he took the bait. 

Thomas tries to give Manuel a cold look when all he wants is to laugh at him. “That’s none of your business.”

Manuel expected him to laugh it off; Thomas can see it the moment the words leave his mouth.

He figures now might be a good moment to leave and so he exits the room with a dozen pairs of eyes following him, just like earlier with Robert. 

Said striker is waiting for him outside of the building. “Did they bite?”

“I think so. I know I got Manu on the hook and I guess the others are having their suspicions as well.”

Robert nods. “Good. I’ll see you tonight then.”

Thomas blinks a few times. “Um, we’re alone now. You don’t have to pretend anymore.”

Robert turns back to him with his eyebrows raised. “Do you seriously believe none of them is going to check whether we’re actually going on a date? You just gave them time and place, I wouldn’t be surprised to find half the squad hiding in my bushes.”

Robert laughs at his own words before walking away with a final wave. “See you tonight.”

Thomas stands there dumbfounded, wondering how he ended up having an actual date with Robert Lewandowski of all people.

 

Ten minutes before 8 o’clock he’s standing in front of Robert’s house, feeling really stupid. He doesn’t know how to treat this situation, he didn’t really think about the little things the success of his joke might entail. It makes him wonder even more why Robert agreed to this, if he already knew beforehand.

When Robert opens the door, he looks as gorgeous as you would expect on a date: Dark hair styled back, wearing a pair of fitted black trousers and a red plaid shirt with the two top buttons opened to reveal a bit of his chest.

If Thomas was into men, he’s sure he would swoon right on the spot.

“You’re looking… good,” he comments and immediately winces at his own incapability to give an appropriate compliment.

Robert smiles though. “Thanks. You’re not looking so bad either.”

Thomas eyes his casual blue jeans as well as the white T-Shirt and huffs. “Yes, as long as I’m not standing next to you.”

Robert shakes his head. “No, I’m serious.”

Thomas accepts it with an awkward nod. “Okay, thank you then. So where to?”

“Giovanni’s Pizzeria?”

Thomas sighs in relief. A pizzeria is much more casual than a restaurant, so if somebody recognizes them, they can still play it off as an ordinary boys’ night.

Since the pizzeria is barely a ten minute walk away, they decide to go by foot. Thomas looks over to Robert. “You still think we’re being watched?”

“Yes, I’d bet on it. They’re worse than a bunch of high school girls.”

Thomas has to laugh at the comparison. “You know, I should probably apologize for dragging you into this. It seemed like a good idea back then, but now…”

Robert responds with a reassuring smile. “It  _is_ a good idea.”

Thomas gives him an incredulous look. “Despite all of this?” He makes a gesture with his hand that hopefully includes the situation.

Robert shrugs. “I don’t mind. And it’s nice to spend some time with you outside training.” He sounds serious. 

“We don’t have to make up a reason to spend time together,” Thomas offers.

“Perhaps,” is the vague answer.

Thomas knows he has to dig deeper. “Do you  _want_ to spend more time with me?”

Of course he shouldn’t have expected a straightforward answer. “Why is it so hard to believe that I enjoy your company?” Robert asks instead.

Why indeed?

“Well, you never told me that you wanted to spend time with me.”

“That’s the problem with you.”

Thomas is taken aback by the flicker of impatience crossing Robert’s face. “What is that supposed to mean?”

But Robert’s face is impassive now. “Nothing.”

They have reached the pizzeria now and Robert enters without looking back at Thomas, so he decides to drop the matter.

They choose a table for two in the back in order to have some more privacy. When the waitress comes, they order a bottle of red wine and two pizzas, nothing fancy.

Thomas notes the strange atmosphere between them and wonders what he did to upset the other man. “You’re mad at me.”

“No,” Robert argues but doesn’t elaborate further. 

“Would you please give me a bit more than a monosyllabic reply?”

Robert sighs and he looks tired now. “The problem is that I’m not a very talkative person. I rely on people picking up on my moods rather than my words. Which isn’t exactly your métier.”

“Ouch,” Thomas exclaims which earns him an apologetic half smile from Robert.

“So what you’re saying is that I’m an insensitive dense jerk.”

“What I’m saying is that I’m too much of a coward to tell you that I like you.”

Thomas smiles at the unexpected turn of events. “So the reason we’re arguing right now is because you like me?”

Robert grins. “Don’t flatter yourself, after all you’re an – how did you phrase it? An insensitive dense jerk.”

“And here I was thinking we were making progress,” Thomas jokes with an amused smile.

Their pizzas arrive in this moment and they begin to eat in silence though it is a more comfortable one than before.

After a few minutes Robert raises the glass of wine to his lips, but stops before taking a sip.

“We’ve got company.”

Thomas waits briefly before letting his eyes roam through the room until he can see what Robert is talking about. Barely visible behind a large indoor plant are two men, one of which seems to wait for an order while the other is taking an awfully long time tying his laces. Their faces are hidden under the hoodies of their jackets which only makes them look more suspicious.

It doesn’t take him long to figure out who they are, Joshua and Thiago.

Thomas laughs quietly. “Do they think they’re subtle?”

Robert shrugs. “Well, they’re trying but there’s a bit too much enthusiasm I’m afraid.” He takes a sip and puts his glass down again. “Come on, it would be a shame if they’d gone through this trouble for nothing.”

Before Thomas has time to reply, Robert reaches over the table and lays his hand over Thomas’.

Thomas tenses and looks up to Robert. He doesn’t know what he’s expecting, but Robert doesn’t take it further.

His fingers stroke Thomas’ softly and he feels himself relax.

“You’re very affectionate,” Thomas comments.

“What did you expect me to do? Grab your face and kiss you? Because then I have to disappoint you, I’m so not going to kiss you on our first date.”

Thomas takes notice of his choice of words. “Not on our first date? So you  _do_ want to kiss me?”

Robert gives him a funny look. “Hey, you were the one suggesting this fake relationship. I’m just going with the flow. You didn’t expect the others to believe all of this without witnessing a kiss, did you?”

“Um,” Thomas responds, feeling like an absolute idiot. No, he definitely hadn’t thought this far and actual kissing hadn’t been part of the plan. 

Robert seems to read his expression right. “So you thought we’d get away with a few dubious touches and that’s it?”

He extracts his hand from Thomas’ fingers which jerk in response as he suppresses the urge to pull Robert’s hand back into his.

“I’m sorry,” Robert says and Thomas wonders how he can sound this genuine when it’s actually Thomas’ own fault for not thinking his plan through.

Robert studies him carefully. “Do you want to leave?”

“Why would I?” he asks surprised.

“You just admitted that you didn't want to take our relationship to that level. We can still go back to my place and let them believe we're making out on the couch or something.”

Immediately Thomas feels a slight pang of guilt in his chest. Robert is taking all of this so easily while he's busy overanalyzing every little touch.

“No, we're not breaking off our date. I was just starting to enjoy myself.”

He goes back to eating his pizza while Robert laughs softly.

They spend the rest of the evening amicably, chatting about irrelevant things and giggling like teenage girls over a few lame jokes.

After more than two hours they finally decide to head back home. When they reach Robert’s house, Thomas waits for Robert to see him off with a wave or something like that, but instead Robert turns to him with his hand on the knob of the door. “I had a great evening, so thank you for taking me out.”

Thomas smiles. “You’re welcome. I look forward to next time.”

In his head that comment sounded perfectly casual, but when the words leave his mouth, it comes across like a promise. He blushes and tries to elaborate. “I mean to our next fake date obviously.” God, he’s making this even worse.

Fortunately Robert gets how he means it. “Me too.”

And before Thomas realizes what’s happening, Robert has leaned forward and puts a soft, long kiss on his cheek.

“Good night, Thomas.”

Then he enters his house while Thomas for some inscrutable reason has still problems processing that Robert. Just. Kissed. Him.

By the time he has walked back to his own house, he has convinced himself that Robert must have seen one of their teammates in the bushes, just like he had suspected earlier that day.

It’s the only reasonable explanation for that kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare yourself for a "healthy" dose of drama...  
> (So much for my resolution to write something light without any kind of drama^^)

 

The next day it becomes clear that Joshua and Thiago have told the whole squad every detail of their dinner, or at least the bits and pieces they must have been able to witness.

As soon as Thomas enters the dress room, the noisy discussions break off and his team mates are suddenly busy folding their clothes neatly. Even though their faces are turned away from him, he can feel their eyes on his back as he makes his way to his own locker. The only one who is not trying to hide that he’s watching Thomas intensely, is Manuel of course.

But to Thomas’ surprise the one who has the courage to address the elephant in the room, is the usually rather quiet Xabi.

“I’ve heard you had a nice evening with Robert,” he says casually.

“Yes, it was great.”

Thomas figures it’s best if he doesn’t give the team too much information and lets them tap in the dark instead. Nothing creates more gossip than lack of reliable information.

But Xabi surprises him when he doesn’t ask for details but pats him on the back with a smile. “You know, I’m happy for the two of you. I think you two go well together.”

Okay, this situation is not really going as planned. Their team is supposed to be startled, feeling awkward, unsure how to deal with this…

But then again Xabi is cool about practically everything, so Thomas shouldn’t be surprised. The rest of the team is an entirely other matter.

“Thank you. But this is still new for both of us, so we’d like to keep it a secret for a little while longer.”

“Sure,” Xabi replies. “I understand that you guys need some time to figure things out. Just don’t take too long.”

He leaves and Thomas turns back to his locker. That’s when he realizes that Joshua who has got the one next to his and must have heard his conversation with Xabi, is looking at him wide-eyed.

“What’s wrong?” Thomas asks, noting with growing confusion that the youngster’s face is as pale as a ghost. He almost looks sick.

Instead of answering Joshua all but runs out of the room, leaving Thomas to ponder what just happened.

While he is taking his time putting on his training kit, a worrisome thought occurs to him. Maybe Joshua is uncomfortable with the idea of Thomas and Robert together?

Thomas has never found him to be particularly narrow-minded, but he doesn’t know the kid good enough to be able to tell.

If his suspicion turns out to be right, this prank might not have been the best idea…

He decides to confront Joshua about the matter right after practice.

Thomas is the last one to arrive on the field which earns him a chiding glare from his coach Pep. Thomas is already in the middle of his warm-up when he belatedly notices that there is somebody else missing.

“Where is Robert?” he asks Manuel next to him.

Manuel gives him a curious look. “You should know better than us.”

Philipp gives the blond a not very subtle shove before elaborating, “He’s outside. Marco showed up all of a sudden and demanded a private talk with him.”

Thomas was sure he had misheard that. “Marco Reus is here? What does he want?”

Philipp shrugged. “He wouldn’t tell. But he looked pissed and I’m afraid it’s got to do with you.”

Thomas’ heart sinks. “Me? Why me?”

But Philipp doesn’t give him an answer, nor does Manuel.

During the next ten minutes Thomas is contemplating if he should go looking for Robert, but he has the feeling that I’s best not to interrupt whatever Marco and Robert are discussing.

Then Robert shows up on the field and one look at him is enough reason for Thomas to throw caution to the wind.

Robert looks so tired, sad eyes not leaving the ground as he crosses the ground to stand beside Thiago and Arturo. Thomas makes his way over to him, not caring about Pep calling after him.

“Robert, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” is the clipped answer and now Robert looks annoyed.

“What did I tell you about monosyllabic replies?”

Robert closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to compose himself. “I had a fight with Marco.”

Thomas takes in Robert’s troubled expression. “Was it about me?”

For some reason he can’t fathom, that question sets Robert off completely. “You know what? It’s none of your fucking business and to your information, contrary to your belief, my world doesn’t revolve exclusively around you!”

With that he storms off the field, completely ignoring Pep yelling after him.

Thomas watches him dumbfounded and at a loss of words. Their teammates aren’t much better.

Eventually Thiago taps his shoulder carefully. “You rebuffed him last night, didn’t you? That’s why he’s so pissed; he didn’t get laid.”

If the situation wasn’t this serious, Thomas would have laughed.

Why is Robert so upset with him all of a sudden?

He turns away and comes face to face with Joshua again who looks just as miserable as earlier in the locker room.

“I’m sorry, Thomas, I shouldn’t have blurted it out while Marco was also listening.”

Thomas frowns. “Hold up! What are you talking about?”

“Your date yesterday. Thiago and I followed you just to see whether this was serious or not. As soon as I was back, I called up Mario to tell him about the two of you. Marco was with him last night, but I didn’t care. I didn’t know you two still wanted to keep it a secret.”

Now Joshua’s behavior was starting to make sense; he was feeling guilty.

“It’s not your fault. Marco would have found out about us sooner or later anyway.”

He starts following Robert to confront him, but halts when a furious Pep plants himself in front of Thomas. “Where do you think you’re going, young man?”

“I need to talk to Robert and-,“ he starts but is cut off by his coach instantly.

“Yes, you will talk to him and fix whatever mess you’ve created, but only _after_ I have announced that this practice is finished!”

“You don’t understand, this is really important.”

“AND PRACTICE ISN’T?!” Pep shouts so loud that the entire Bayern team turns their heads towards them. “Now get your ass back on the field! Whatever the two of you have to settle can wait two more hours.”

Thomas obeys grudgingly just when Pep adds, “And when you find him, tell your boyfriend, I will not tolerate him skipping another practice like that.”

Thomas doesn’t respond which is probably best for everyone considering Pep’s allergy to lack of discipline.

Practice seems to take forever and he almost suspects that Pep is exceeding the usual time limit on purpose. When he is finally released, he runs back into the dress room, not surprised to find Robert’s stuff missing. So he’s either home or with Marco. For a moment he stands in the doorway and contemplates where to search first, but then Mario is at his side.

“I think you should talk to Marco first.”

Thomas opens his mouth to protest because Robert is his top priority and he doesn’t really want to talk to Marco when he hasn’t settled things with Robert yet.

Mario holds up his hand immediately. “Just trust me on this. You won’t get any useful answers from Robert, he will only try to shut himself off even more. Talk to Marco first.”

Thomas narrows his eyes. “You know what they have been fighting about.”

It wasn’t a question. The only thing he wants to know is why Mario wouldn’t just tell him if he knew what Robert’s problem is.

Mario seems to hear his unspoken question. “I’m sorry, but I can’t be the one telling you about this matter. I have no idea what to believe anymore.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Mario gives him a thoughtful look. “How serious are you about Robert?”

Thomas freezes, unsure how what to make of that question. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Yes, but what exactly does that mean for you? Just think about that.”

Without waiting for Thomas’ reply Mario turns away and packs his stuff, leaving Thomas to think about it briefly.

After standing there for a little while longer, Thomas decides to follow Mario’s advice. “Okay, let’s go.”

 

 

Half an hour later they are entering Mario’s apartment.

Thomas isn’t surprised that Marco is staying here for the week he’s got talks with his sponsors. Why those talks are held in Munich when Marco’s club has its home at the other end of the country, is a mystery to Thomas.

He has the growing suspicion Marco just needs a reason to see Mario again. For two people living at opposing sides of a country, they manage to spend quite a lot of time together. Not to mention that Marco seems to be unable to book a hotel room every time he’s in Munich…

Mario lets Thomas in and begins taking off his jacket.

“Marco, you’ve got a visitor.”

There’s a groan coming from the room to their left. “If it’s Robert, tell him I’ve said everything there is to say. It’s his fault if he doesn’t want to listen.”

Mario rolled his eyes. “It isn’t Robert.” He paused before adding more quietly, “It’s Thomas.”

For a moment there is silence then the sound of footsteps barging loudly through the room is heard.

And two seconds later a furious Marco appears in the doorway.

“You!” he exclaims when he sees Thomas. “What are _you_ doing here?!”

Thomas is taken aback by the sudden hostility. He and Marco have always got along well up to now.

“It’s about Robert. He’s upset and apparently it’s got to do with your fight this morning.”

Marco laughs mockingly. “So _now_ you care. Seems like I’ve got to be the one to break it to you since no one else has the guts to do it: I’m not the reason he’s upset, _you_ are!”

Thomas stares at him in utter confusion. “Me? Why me?”

“Because you’re an idiot who never thinks about the consequences of his actions!” Mario snarls.

Mario glares at him disapprovingly. “Hey, behave!”

Marco doesn’t say anything but settles on watching Thomas with his eyes narrowed to slits.

Thomas tries again. “Why is he upset with me?”

“You didn’t listen carefully. He’s not upset _with_ you; he’s upset _because of_ you.”

If this is meant to clear things up, it doesn’t work.

Since Marco doesn’t seem to be inclined to enlighten Thomas, he turns to Mario for help.

“What he’s trying to say is that you and Robert are probably not on the same page when it comes to your relationship.”

Marco snorts. “That’s an understatement.”

Mario gives him another warning look before adding, “Okay, let’s say he seems to be much more committed to this relationship than you. Marco fears-,” he is interrupted by a raised eyebrow from said man. “Fine, _we_ fear that Robert is heading for a heartbreak.”

Thomas’ eyes dart from Mario to Marco and back. They are absolutely serious. He figures now might be the perfect time to tell them the truth about his relationship with Robert. “Guys, there has been a misunderstanding. Robert and I are not really together, we were just pretending.”

He is prepared for them to not believe him. Or be indignant about that prank.

However he is not prepared for them to take it in stride as though it’s nothing new. Which is exactly what they do.

Mario still looks torn and Marco still looks pissed. “You don’t seem to be very surprised,” Thomas supposes carefully.

Marco’s scowl darkens, but it is Mario who speaks what they’re both thinking. “We aren’t. Robert already told Marco this morning.”

That was unexpected.

“Then you know that none of this is real. I wanted to play a prank on the team and pulled Robert along. That’s it.”

The look he receives from Mario can only be described as disappointed while Marco is back to his murderous glaring and giving Mario a look that clearly conveyed “I told you so”.

“See? I warned him that he was wishing for the impossible to happen. He will never return Robert’s feelings.”

Thomas shakes his head. “Are you guys even listening to me? I just told you it was nothing more than a prank. Robert was _acting._ ”

Before Marco can respond, Mario turns to Thomas with an accusatory expression that is still less aggressive than Marco’s. “Are you sure about that?”

Thomas thinks about their fake date, Robert reaching out for his hand all of a sudden and of course the goodbye kiss. None of it would have been absolutely necessary to sell their supposed relationship to the others.

Maybe Robert isn’t the good actor Thomas has thought him to be; maybe he was just giving in to the things he _wanted_ to do.

“He is not in love with me,” Thomas argues more to himself and feels like a stubborn child now. “He would have said something.”

But then he remembers what Robert told him yesterday.

… “ _That’s the problem with you.”…_

… “ _The problem is that I’m not a very talkative person. I rely on people picking up on my moods rather than my words. Which isn’t exactly your métier.”…_

“Oh God,” he whispers when he realizes Marco and Mario may be right after all. “I need to talk with him.”

He turns on his heels, but is stopped by Marco gripping his arm. “Hold on. Just to be clear, if you hurt him, I will kill you.”

He nods and then he’s out of the door and heading into the direction he came from.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished this story, so there'll be regular updates.  
> I will focus on "Let the Right One In" for now before you guys kill me for the long wait, then I will start a new multi-chaptered Müllendowski fic. :)

 

 

It takes him twenty minutes to get to Robert’s house, but it feels like eternity to him. He keeps replaying every single word or touch from Robert in his mind, trying to find the moment where something must have changed, the moment where he missed the first sign, but to no avail.

He holds on to the small hope that maybe Marco and Mario have got it all wrong. 

When Robert opens the door, he doesn’t seem very surprised to find Thomas standing there.

“We need to talk,” Thomas says as though it wasn’t obvious.

Robert sighs and he looks tired now, almost miserable. He steps aside to let Thomas in and closes the door behind him, but he remains standing there like he is prepared to either flee at any moment or kick Thomas out. Not a good start to such an important conversation.

“I just had a fight with Marco and Mario.”

He doesn’t have to elaborate further. Robert’s eyes widen and all color drains from his already pale face. That tells Thomas more than words could. But Thomas needs to make sure, to hear the words directly from Robert’s mouth.

“Is it true?” he asks and has trouble recognizing his own voice. It sounds so distant and hollow. “Are you in love with me?”

The fear in Robert’s eyes makes way to desperation and his whole body tenses. “Yes.”

That one little word - barely more than a whisper – changes everything.

Thomas’ mind which had been spinning with different scenarios from the moment he left Mario’s house, is blank now. He doesn’t know what to say or do and he doesn’t even know how to feel. It seems like his body is still in denial of Robert’s little confession.

So it is Robert who breaks the heavy silence between them. “Please say something.”

Thomas blinks a few times and forces himself to focus on Robert who looks like he’s close to a mental breakdown.

“I didn’t know,” Thomas says and then the words pour out of him freely. “I would have never asked you to do all of this, to fake an actual relationship if I had known. I’m sorry!”

The words were meant to be reassuring, but they seem to have the opposite effect. Robert drops his gaze to the ground and the tension leaves his body. He looks like he wants to curl in on himself and only then does Thomas realize the magnitude of the situation.

One wrong word might break Robert and destroy their friendship forever.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he says, trying to bridge the sudden distance between them.

Of course Robert also hears what he didn’t – couldn’t – say. “But you don’t love me.” 

He doesn’t ask, he already knows even though Thomas has refused to come to the same conclusion. He  _wants_ to love Robert for the mere sake of not hurting him but he can’t. “No, I don’t. Not the way you want me to.”

It’s painful for him to watch Robert trying to deal with his answer. To see those blue eyes welling up with tears and know that he is the one responsible for it.

“I’m sorry,” he repeats.

Robert finally raises his head again and the red-rimmed eyes meeting Thomas are like a jab to his chest. “Deep down I’ve always known. But when you asked me about faking a relationship, I couldn’t say no. I finally had the chance to do all the things I wanted to; to touch you the way I wanted to. I knew it would make things so much worse, but I couldn’t forego my only chance at having a relationship with you even if it was just a fake one. I know it was stupid.”

“No, I understand,” Thomas says and he really does. He can’t blame Robert for giving in to the temptation, for wanting to live the dream. But he needs to break it off before there’s even more permanent damage. “But we need to end this now, Robert. I don’t want you to hold on to any false hopes or expectations.”

He means to be reasonable, but when he sees Robert’s walls coming up at his words, he almost regrets them.

“You’re right, we should.” Robert agrees, his voice shaking slightly.

Thomas watches him with growing worry. “Are you going to be okay?”

Robert tries to give him a reassuring smile, but it’s so pained that it looks more like a grimace. “Sure. I just need a bit of time.”

Thomas opens his mouth, but is cut off when Robert adds, “Just leave for now, please.”

The abrupt end to their conversation startles Thomas. He can’t go without knowing whether they can still be friends. He may not love Robert, but he’d hate losing one of his best friends like this. “This doesn’t change anything about us, does it? We can still go back to just being friends, right?”

“Of course,” Robert says though his tone stands in stark contrast to his words. “As long as you don’t mind that your friend is in love with you.”

“I don’t have any problem with that. The question is if you still want to be friends. I would understand if you wanted to save yourself the pain and get a bit of distance.”

Robert seems to consider it for a short moment, but then he shakes his head. “No, I can’t do that. I’d rather have you as a friend only than not at all. It may be selfish, but I can’t stay away from you. I just can’t.”

The tears are back in his eyes and this time Thomas can’t stand it any longer. Slowly he steps forwards and puts his arms around the other man. For a moment Robert tenses but then his arms come up behind Thomas’ back and he leans into the embrace.

“I wish I could stop feeling that way,” he mumbles into Thomas’ shoulder.

The younger man pulls him even closer, relieved that they managed to settle things without a fight. “You will. One day you will meet a guy who’s a thousand times hotter than me, and then you’ll forget me.”

This time Robert’s small laugh is genuine and Thomas smiles at the beautiful sound of it.

“I won’t forget you,” Robert objects though and for some reason that admission soothes Thomas.

Then he feels Robert’s body shaking again, but it’s different than before. It takes him a few seconds to realize Robert is giggling.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Robert says, but continues laughing into Thomas’ shoulder. “I just thought about Marco.”

That throws Thomas off completely. “Marco? Why?”

“Well, he seemed to be a bit overprotective and very adamant on defending my honor. Maybe I should try dating him?”

Thomas snorts which only makes Robert laugh harder. “Please, I thought you had decent taste in men?”

“Just because I’m in love with you?” Robert shoots back amused.

Thomas resists the urge to pull back and take a proper look at his face. To see if Robert is just trying to mask his pain with the joke or if he means it. But he can’t bring himself to loosen his hold on Robert’s body just yet. So he tags along with the joke. “Of course you won’t find a better boyfriend than me, but that’s not reason enough to drop your standards like that. I mean, why Marco?”

He feels Robert unconsciously relaxing into him while the latter tries to think of a valid reason why he would date Marco. 

“Well, he’s blond?” Robert submits but the mere fact that he made it sound like a question is enough to confirm that he’s not interested in Marco that way; a thought that satisfies Thomas for some reason.

He shrugs. “There are enough blondes waiting for you out there. Besides, if you snatch Marco, I think you will destroy the greatest love story of this century.”

He doesn’t have to elaborate, of course Robert knows. At this point half of their team knows. “You’re right, I couldn’t do that to Mario. Though the two of them should finally get a move on, this is overdue for years now. And to think they’re still convinced they’re just being friends.” 

They both laugh softly before Thomas sobers enough to get back to the actual point. “Do you need anything?”

“I thought we just agreed I need a blond guy who is not Marco and that’s the magical solution to my lovesickness.”

This time Thomas doesn’t let get himself distracted again. “I’m serious, Robert.”

Robert pulls back with a defeated sigh, but links his arms behind Thomas’ neck to look at him intensely. “I just told you that I’m madly in love with you and you’re still here. I couldn’t ask for more.”

Thomas shudders under the weight of his gaze. He knows Robert is intense by nature – it’s one of his most fascinating qualities after all – but he’s not used to be on the receiving end of it. He tries to diffuse the loaded atmosphere by cracking another lame joke. “Technically you could ask for one last kiss or something like that.”

That earns him a playful shove from the smaller man whose eyes sparkle with laughter though. “Stop making fun of my feelings! How could I even fall in love with an idiot like you?!”

“Because Funny is the new Sexy?” Thomas proposes which earns him another shove, but is definitely worth it when he sees that laugh again.

They fall into a comfortable silence after that.

Robert seems unwilling to let him go yet and Thomas can’t find it in himself to just go either. Robert seems to take comfort in their embrace and if it means keeping that little content smile a bit longer on his face, Thomas is willing to remain standing like that all day.

“I will miss this,” Robert muses quietly. “Being able to touch you whenever and as long as I want.”

“You can still do that tomorrow. And the day after.”

“I don’t think that is a good idea,” Robert argues though he tightens the grip of his arms around Thomas slightly. “Considering I should try to move on from you.”

Right. They’re supposed to return to being friends. Which probably means they shouldn’t hug like they have been doing now for the last twenty minutes. Apparently that stupid prank has messed with Thomas as well because how else can he explain that he  _minds_ the prospect of not being able to hold Robert like that?

Seriously he needs to get his shit together! 

He disentangles himself and all of a sudden he feels cold which only affirms his suspicion that his body has got a bit too used to touching Robert.

“I should leave. If I don’t, I’m only making things worse.”

“I know,” Robert replies and the sadness returns to his eyes. And just like that they’re back to square one: Thomas wants to hold him even though he mentally chides himself for it. It’s not like he’s the only one who can make Robert feel better.

“You shouldn’t be alone now. Call Marco and Mario and tell them to come over. I bet Marco wants to see for himself that I haven’t laid a finger on you.”

Robert smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Yes, that sounds like him. Now off you go.”

Thomas obeys and exits through the door. When it closes behind him, he can’t shake the feeling that – despite all of those confessions and revelations on both sides – nothing has been said at all.

It doesn’t exactly put him in good spirits for the future.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update for you guys because your feedback on the last chapter was mind blowing! :D  
> This chapter was so long that I had to split it into two parts, so there will still be two more coming.
> 
> During writing process this was the moment that I realized the actual fic turned out totally different than my initial vision, but I can't complain about the turn of events. I'm curious about your reaction though...

 

When he shows up for practice the next day, he isn’t surprised that once again everyone knows. He wonders if they have always been such gossipers, because up to his prank he hasn’t really been aware of that. When he enters the dress room, all heads in the room turn to him.

Thomas chooses to ignore them and walks to his locker. Joshua is standing next to it and the kid looks absolutely devastated. “This is my fault, isn’t it?” 

Thomas turns to him in confusion, but Joshua doesn’t wait for a reaction. “I exposed your relationship against your will and that lead to Robert and Marco fighting. And then to you and Marco fighting.”

“How do you know about that?” Thomas interposes.

“Mario, of course.”

Ah, obviously. How could he even ask?

Joshua has already continued reproaching himself. “I always thought Marco was into Mario, so I didn’t see any harm when I told Mario about you and Robert. God, I was so stupid! Robert said so many times that he and Marco shared a special friendship; I should have connected the dots.”

Connected the dots? Before Thomas can think about what Joshua means with that, the boy looks up at him with a terrified expression. “Oh God, no!”

“What’s wrong now?” Thomas asks worried.

“Mario said Marco came over to Robert after you two broke up.”

Good to know that Robert listened to his suggestion, but he doesn’t see Joshua’s point. “So?”

Joshua once again gives him a look as though it is obvious. “Do you think Marco is trying to win him back?”

“Win him back?” Thomas repeats dumbfounded until it finally dawns him. “Wait, you think Marco and Robert were together and that’s the reason the three of us were fighting yesterday?”

“Well, obviously.” 

“No, it wasn’t like that. Like you said, Marco and Mario are meant to be together and Marco just wanted to comfort him, nothing more.”

But he could as well be talking to a wall, Joshua isn’t even listening to him. “Jesus, I ruined  _everything_ ! Your relationship with Robert and whatever was building up between Marco and Mario.” Thomas is at loss of words. Joshua is panicking over things that aren’t real. He and Robert have never been together and things between Marco and Mario are fine.

While he is contemplating how to convince Joshua (all the while cursing Mario for leaving out that small detail of him and Robert’s relationship not being real right from the start), Philipp comes walking over and grips his arm soothingly. “We understand that you’re still hurt because of the breakup, but please stop upsetting Joshua.”

“I’m not doing anything,” Thomas argues, but Philipp is already leading Joshua away from him.

Thomas stares after them, convinced that fate has finally decided he needs proper payback for being such a constant pain in the ass. There’s no other explanation for the things happening to him since he started that damn prank. And just when he thinks it really can’t get any worse, Manuel appears at his side.

“Why did you two break up?”

Thomas closes his eyes in resignation. “Our relationship wasn’t real. It was just a joke to fuck with you guys.”

“You never loved him?” Manuel asks, sounding skeptical.

“No, I’m not into men.”

“So you wouldn’t have a problem if he showed up with a new boyfriend tomorrow?”

“Of course not, he can do whatever he wants,” Thomas snaps back because that stupid questioning is really beginning to annoy him.

Manuel raises his hands defensively. “Just making sure.” He moves to turn away, but hesitates. “But Robert loved you?”

“Yes,” Thomas answers warily.

“And does he still love you?” For some reason Manuel sounds even more earnest than usual.

Thomas thinks about it for a moment because he feels like it is not his place to tell, but eventually gives in. “Yes.”

Manuel’s blue eyes harden to ice. “Then you were playing with his feelings.”

“I didn’t know that he was in love with me.” 

“Funny cause everyone else could tell with one look at the two of you,” Manuel says but then he sighs and his expression softens. “Listen, I know you didn’t do this on purpose, but you should really be more considerate of the people around you. Just keep that in mind for the future.”

Thomas watches him leave, feeling like a complete failure.

Has Robert really been that obvious?

He follows the goalkeeper outside where most of their teammates have already started their daily stretching exercises. And in the back, right next to Mario and Thiago, is Robert.

He meets Thomas’ eyes briefly and acknowledges him with a small nod before dropping his head again.

Thomas contemplates joining him because they agreed they would treat each other just like before and he has trained with Robert many times before. But the decision is taken from him when Manuel walks over to Robert instead.

Thomas hopes to evade any questions about the matter by settling with the most affable member of the squad, Philipp. It works for barely ten minutes, then the older man coughs to get his attention.

“I know this is probably the last thing you want to talk about right now, but as your captain I have to ask. This breakup isn’t going to jeopardize the dynamic of the team, right?”

“Of course not,” Thomas reassures him with a quick look at Robert who seems to be getting a very similar talk from Manuel. “Things are good between us or at least they will be.”

Philipp exhales his breath in relief. “Okay, great. Just one last question. Why did you two break up? I don’t believe that Marco was the only reason.”

Thomas thinks about telling him about the prank, but no one seems to buy it anyway. Besides, taken out of context, it sounds rather cruel. Since he can’t lie to Philipp, he ends up telling him the half-truth. “We weren’t on the same page. I was the one to suggest this relationship, but in the end it turned out he was more committed to it than I am currently comfortable with.”

Philipp watches him thoughtfully. “Has it ever occurred to you that you are just afraid of committing yourself to someone? I mean who ‘suggests’ a relationship? Sounds to me like you prefer not to get your heart involved which isn’t a good attitude for a lasting relationship.”

Thomas stares at him in bewilderment. This has to be the most ridiculous thing someone has ever said about him.

“I’m not afraid of relationships.”

Philipp shrugs. “If you say so…”

They don’t talk about it after that, but Thomas can’t stop replaying their conversation in his head and trying to follow Philipp’s line of thought. What made him think Thomas is afraid of commitment? It’s just that he isn’t into men. Maybe he should say so.

“I’m straight,” he blurts out which makes Philipp freeze in the middle of an exercise. 

“Hold on. Why did you start dating Robert then?”

Yeah, why did Thomas suggest that fake relationship to him? Because he is an idiot.

“Because I thought he was straight too,” he says instead. It isn’t a lie though.

Philipp frowns. “I don’t understand how this is supposed to make sense.”

“Me neither,” Thomas replies truthfully. The more he talks about that fake relationship, the more stupid the idea sounds to him. What was he even thinking?!

He’s glad when Pep divides the players into teams for a little 6 vs. 6 test match, at least that will distract him for a bit. He ends up with Sven, Jérôme, Xabi, Douglas and Mario while the other team consists of Manuel, Philipp, Joshua, Thiago, Rafinha and Robert. 

They haven’t done something like this for ages and the others’ enthusiasm transfers to Thomas as well. He is looking forward to netting a shot against Manuel in an actual match, even if it’s just a 6 vs. 6.

As expected both teams set a fast pace right from the start with Douglas and Rafinha doing a lot of fast accelerations that call for immediate actions by the opposing defense. 

Thomas is so immersed in the game that he actually forgets about his problems for a while, at least until Robert manages to score against Sven after twenty minutes. The move has been perfectly played by Robert and Thiago’s precise double pass taking Jérôme and Xabi by surprise and leaving Sven no chance to save the shot.

When the ball hits the net, Robert runs back to the middle line where Thiago and Philipp meet him with wide smiles. Manuel runs over to them as well and pulls Robert into a tight hug.

Right now it’s hard to believe that this is just part of their training session with all the excitement surrounding them.

Thomas trots over to the small group, intending to congratulate both Thiago and Robert for their brilliant team effort but upon looking at the latter he freezes. Manuel is still hugging Robert tightly, his face turned towards Robert’s hair as though  _inhaling_ his scent. Robert frowns and throws a nervous glance at Thiago over the goalkeeper’s shoulder. The Spanish seems to be just as puzzled.

Thomas begins to grin at Manuel’s clingy behavior, but then Manuel’s hands which are linked behind Robert’s shoulder blades lower to the small of his back. 

Thomas’ smile vanishes in an instant. He doesn’t realize that he is moving again until he reaches the pair and puts his own arms around Robert’s waist from behind.

Robert jerks at the unexpected touch, but Thomas ignores it. He meets Manuel’s eyes challengingly while speaking to Robert. “Nice goal.”

“Thanks,” the other man responds quietly, but turns his head questioningly to Thomas.

Manuel and Thomas continue standing there, facing each other with Robert acting as the only puffer between them. They’re not even aware of the sudden silence on the field as they try to stare each other down.

Manuel raises one of his eyebrows and nods down to Thomas’ hands. “I think you can let him go now.”

Thomas narrows his eyes. “Make me.”

Upon noticing the loaded tension between them, Robert shifts in Thomas’ grip and looks from one to the other. “Stop it, guys. Why are you fighting now?”

Thomas is unable to answer, his eyes still glued to Manuel who gives Robert a reassuring smile. “It’s nothing.” Then Manuel finally steps back and releases Robert, but not before running his hand even lower down Robert’s back softly. 

Robert shudders at the contact though Thomas can’t tell if it is from discomfort or pleasure. His hands on Robert’s waist tighten unconsciously while he watches Manuel walking back to the goal.

What the hell was that?!

“Thomas?” Robert calls out tentatively.

He blinks to clear his thoughts before he meets Robert’s gaze and for the first time he really notices how close their bodies are. He has plastered himself to the Pole’s back, his hands holding Robert’s body in place and not giving him room to put some distance between them. And their faces are so close that it takes him a moment to adjust to Robert’s wide eyes that are watching him nervously.

Have they always been this bright? 

He has always thought they are blue but now he realizes the color is too distinct, too unique to be simply labeled as blue. The only fitting word that comes to his mind is  _cerulean_ .

“Em, Thomas, are you planning on letting me go again?”

It takes him another few seconds to get what Robert means. “Oh, sorry.”

He steps back to release the smaller man and he can almost hear a collective sigh of relief going through the whole squad that has been watching the interaction worriedly.

When the two strikers return to their respective positions on the field, Thomas is almost sure his mind just exaggerated things a bit. His eyes land on Manuel with the intention to give him a sign of apology, but that thought goes straight out of the window once he sees the expression on Manuel’s face; eyes glinting with blatant lust following Robert’s every move.

His mind hasn’t been making it up, Manuel  _is_ interested in Robert.

His body moves into the direction he just came from, eyes set on Manuel only as his legs move faster on their own accord. But then there’s another small figure blocking his vision and he comes face to face with Philipp.

“Hey, you need to cut it out!”

Thomas gives him a dark scowl. “What does Manu think he’s doing?”

“No, what do _you_ think you’re doing?” Philipp shoots back in a tone Thomas has never heard him use before. “You broke up with Robert, told everyone who asked that it hadn’t been anything serious and that you settled things with him, then get jealous at whoever looks at him a second too long.”

“I’m not jealous!” Thomas snaps back loudly.

“Then would you care to tell me why you’re overreacting like that?”

He looks down at Philipp indignantly. “Overreacting? Manu was practically groping Robert in front of everyone’s eyes!”

“Yes. And?”

“What do you mean, _and_?! He can’t just do that.” 

“Why not?” Philipp asks. “You made it very clear that you weren’t interested in Robert; you can’t blame others for trying their luck. By the way, I’m sure if Robert minded Manuel’s advances, he would be able to speak for himself.”

With that the defender walks back to his own position in front of Manuel, leaving a conflicted Thomas to stand alone at the middle line.

Once again his gaze meets Manuel’s and the vicious smirk on the other man’s face makes his blood boil. Thomas has never thought of him as malicious, but right now there’s no other word to describe what he is doing. It’s like he wants to provoke a fight. 

What Thomas finds just as confusing is why Robert even tolerates Manuel’s behavior, especially after that very suggestive groping.

Suddenly he remembers one of the lighter moments of yesterday’s conversation with Robert; a moment that doesn’t seem that light anymore in light of recent events…

…“ _I mean, why Marco?” - “Well, he’s blond?” - “There are enough blondes waiting for you out there.”…_

…“ _Do you need anything?” - “I thought we just agreed I need a blond guy who is not Marco and that’s the magical solution to my lovesickness.”…_

No. Thomas’ eyes widen and his head whips from Manuel in the goal to Robert standing at the other side of the field.

The striker is watching Manuel intensely and though there’s no heat in his eyes, it still affirms Thomas’ suspicion. Robert wasn’t joking, he is really searching for a rebound. And apparently he has found it right in front of Thomas’ nose…

It takes Thomas every ounce of his willpower to remain where he is and not cross the field to punch Manuel’s face in.

His own line of thoughts should probably worry him – after all he usually isn’t a violent person – yet he can’t find it in himself to care right now.

Manuel knows that Robert is still in love with Thomas and vulnerable after their unfortunate break up. In his current state of mind Robert is probably inclined to return any kind of advancement and Manuel even seems to fit his type.

His thoughts which threaten to spiral out of control are interrupted by Thiago carefully tapping his arm. “Are you okay? You look a bit…troubled.”

His hesitance makes it sound like it this wasn’t the word he had initially wanted to use and Thomas can’t blame him; he has a good idea of what his expression must look like right now.

“I’m fine,” he replies through clipped teeth and stomps over to Mario who is waiting for him to do the kickoff.

Mario raises an eyebrow questioningly, but doesn’t say anything. Not that it is hard to guess what he wants to ask.

“I’m fine, really. But if someone makes me say that one more time, I swear I’m going to throw a tantrum.”

Mario grins amusedly. “Too late, you already are.”

“Why is everyone treating me like _I_ am the one causing problems? Manuel is taking advantage of Robert’s feelings for me and no one seems to mind.”

Mario takes his outburst in stride. “Didn’t you just say you are fine?”

“I _am_ fine!” Thomas replies and immediately regrets his harsh tone, after all none of this is Mario’s fault.

The younger man apparently doesn’t take offence though. “Then why are you throwing a tantrum?”

Only then does it occur to Thomas that he is doing exactly that. He swallows down whatever he wanted to say and shuts his mouth, just when Pep calls over to him. 

“Are you done, Thomas? Because this is supposed to be a training session, not a drama club. Now if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, would you please be so kind to do your fucking job?”

Great, he managed to piss off his coach twice in the span of two days. What an accomplishment…

When the game finally continues, the enthusiasm is gone. The game is more sober, more careful now and Mario has to  move forward to the  position of middle striker after Thomas wordlessly retreats to the defense line.

It’s a position he usually doesn’t like to play, but he figures it’s best to bring as much distance between Manuel and himself as possible. Just to be on the safe side because he knows that eventually he would regret punching his friend in the face no matter how appealing the idea sounds right now.

Though it doesn’t help to take the edge of his anger off, he’s doing alright for the rest of the otherwise uneventful game. At least until the very last minute. 

Manuel manages to save Mario’s shot  and plays a long ball before both teams have time to reposition themselves. Thomas and Jérôme have been moving forward into the opposing side of the field and the sudden counter attack  takes them by total surprise.  Manuel’s kick out bridges  the whole middle field and reaches the one teammate who is already standing in an offensive position. Robert traps the ball with his chest and then  he makes a fast acceleration, thereby outplaying Jérôme with ease and heading for the goal with Sven  being the only barrier left. 

Thomas is running at full speed now, switching to Jérôme’s side when it becomes apparent that the tall defender is losing  the running duel  with Robert.

Sven is leaving his goal in a desperate attempt to disturb the attacker’s run even though it’s well-known that Robert doesn’t lose his nerves like that. 

Robert slows down, intending to round Sven and that enables Thomas to gain some more ground. His first instinct is to slow down in order not to overrun the striker, but Robert must be seeing him coming because he’s already going for the shot, leaving Thomas only one option to stop him.

If he wasn’t so pent up with anger right now, Thomas wouldn’t even think about doing what’s coming next. He doesn’t slow down and while his outstretched foot finds its intended target – the ball – the rest of his body collides directly with Robert.

They hit the ground hard and a pained groan escapes Robert when the impact of it forces the air out of his lungs. Thomas’ landing is cushioned by Robert’s chest underneath him.

“Shit,” Thomas exclaims when he realizes he’s totally overdone his tackle.

Robert is curling in on himself, trying to take breaths again and Thomas gets off the other man instantly. “Robert? I’m sorry, are you okay?”

When Robert’s only response is a pained wince, Thomas’ shock is replaced by panic. “I’m sorry, Robert, I didn’t mean to-“

His apology is cut off by someone grabbing his jersey from behind and hauling him off Robert’s chest harshly.

“What the hell, Thomas?!” He comes face to face with a very furious Manuel. Only this time it is justifiable. His gaze drops to Robert still lying on the ground while the others are crowding him and trying to help somehow. Thomas is frozen in place and is barely aware that Manuel is still shouting at him. “What is wrong with you? No one in their right mind goes into a tackle like that, even if it’s a World Cup Final. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were intending to hurt Robert.” 

That finally manages to break through Thomas’ shock induced trance and he meets Manuel’s eyes with a shell-shocked expression. “No, I could never do that.”

“Look at him, you already did!”

Thomas can't find an appropriate response to that. His eyes turn back to Robert who is back on his feet now and shrugging off Philipp and Mario who are holding him up. Then the striker comes over to them and lays a hand on Manuel's shoulder to calm him down.

“Manu, please, that's enough. He didn't do it on purpose.”

“That's not an excuse!” Manuel replies vehemently.

Thomas silently agrees with him. This could have ended much worse...

Robert watches Thomas with an expression akin to worry which is strange because  _he_ is the one who got hurt.

“Manu, can you give us a minute?”

Manuel nods though it looks forced and leaves them.

Robert walks to the side line farthest away from the others and Thomas follows him without protest. When Robert stops and turns to him, he mentally prepares himself for quite a few  accusations . He knows he deserves it.

But instead Robert eyes him warily before he starts speaking softly. 

“What's the matter with you, Thomas? You've been on the edge since this morning.” He hesitates before continuing. “Is this about yesterday? You took my confession much better than I could have expected and now it's like you're a completely different person. I thought we agreed that my feelings wouldn't change anything about us; that we would still be friends. If you changed your mind and it bothers you, just tell me.”

Thomas feels like he has been slapped in the face. How can Robert even think that?

“No, that's not it. Of course I still want to have you as a friend, nothing could change that.” It doesn't feel like enough, but Robert exhales in relief.

“Okay, good. But what's wrong with you then?”

If only Thomas knew... He's having so many conflicted feelings that he can't really make sense of them. 

“I don't know. Perhaps it has to do with the things you said yesterday. I know I promised they wouldn't change anything between us, but I seem to be more... I don't know how to describe it. I seem to be more protective of you.”

Once again it feels to Thomas like the words aren't quite right yet though he's trying hard to be as truthful as possible.

Robert chuckles. “Protective. You have a strange way of showing that.”

Thomas winces at the memory of his tackle. “I'm sorry about that. I was angry and not thinking clearly. I promise it won't happen again.”

Robert smiles softly. “It's alright, I know. Just tell me if there's anything I can do to help.” With that he rounds Thomas to return to the playfield, his hand squeezing Thomas' shoulder reassuringly. 

Thomas watches him walk away with a strange feeling, almost like yearning. Apparently yesterday's events really have messed with him, how else can he explain what's happening with him? Maybe Robert isn't the only one who got too immersed in their fake relationship... Thomas is missing Robert's carefree touches; the knowledge that he was the only one receiving them and being able to return them. With Manuel suddenly entering the picture, he realizes that against better judgement he had allowed himself to believe the lie. And now he is faced with the reality he has pushed between Robert and himself like a wall. 

He is missing something he has never known he wanted. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are so amazing, you just keep getting better and better.... :*  
> This chapter (as well as the last one) is shorter again, I hope you don't mind.

 

In the following days Thomas is trying hard to do better and accept whatever it is between Manuel and Robert.  
He is back to being his usual cheerful self and doesn’t glare daggers into Manuel’s back anymore whenever the blond comes close to Robert. Sometimes when the two of them are talking and laughing quietly, Thomas can’t help but watch them a bit longer than what is probably appropriate. Nobody calls him out for it though because it is a big improvement from before.   
Though Thomas suspects that his newfound self-control is not a result of him trying hard but Manuel not touching Robert anymore. At least not in public; he does his best not to think about what’s happening between them behind closed doors.

When the weekend comes, Thomas is feeling ready to explode because of his constant restraint in front of his team.

So when Mario asks him if he’d like to go out Friday night, he’s actually relieved to have a bit of distraction. The club is barely twenty minutes away from Mario’s house, so they walk there by foot. Thomas isn’t particularly surprised to find Marco joining them as well. Seems like his meetings with his sponsors are taking a lot longer than usual, not that Thomas wants to jump to conclusions…

Marco grins at him. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

“Why? Disappointed that I might ruin your date with Mario?”

Marco rolls his eyes. “Yeah, sure, that’s what I was thinking. But to be honest Mario wanted to go out because of you, not me.”

Thomas turns to the younger man in disbelief. “You didn’t.”

Mario gives Marco a look that’s probably meant to shut him up before replying. “I figured you deserved some time off after a week of good conduct.”

“Good conduct?” Thomas repeats amused. “That makes me sound like a criminal.”

Marco chuckles. “Well, you were short of murdering Manuel and physically assaulting Robert. For which I’m still mad at you by the way.”

Thomas frowns at Mario. “You told him?”

Mario blushes before dropping his eyes. “He’s Robert’s friend.”

Marco added, “You should be glad that he did. At least he defended you before I could come over and kill you like I promised.”

Thomas glances at Mario thankfully. “Okay, I got it. But seriously, how is Marco threatening me any different from me threatening Manuel?”

“Marco is talking big, but just if you haven’t noticed, _you_ are the one who went bananas and hurt someone.”  
Thomas grimaced at the reminder. “If you’re trying to make me feel guilty, you’re doing a great job.”

Mario gives him an apologetic look. “Sorry, that wasn’t my intention. I just want you to take your mind off those things and have some fun.”

For some reason Marco seems to find that comment very funny, because he is failing to contain his laughter. Thomas isn’t sure he wants to know the reason, so he chooses to ignore it. “Fine, then we should probably get a move on.”

By the time they reach the club, Thomas is in high spirits again though it doesn’t escape his attention that Mario is becoming more nervous the closer they get and Marco is watching Thomas more intensely. He doesn’t really get it until they reach the entrance of the club where two very familiar figures are waiting for them.

“What took you guys so long?” Manuel asks while he drops his arm that he has previously put around Robert’s shoulder.

Instead of waiting for an answer he walks into the building and immediately makes his way through the people, probably to get them some drinks.

Thomas’ eyes follow him and he wonders for what he deserves such bad luck. Of all the people he could have met here, it has to be the ones he wants to forget right now.

The answer to his unspoken question comes from Robert who’s smiling at Mario. “Thanks for inviting us by the way.”

Thomas whips around and gives Mario a look of utter betrayal.

So much for distracting himself and having fun…

Mario looks almost sorry. Almost. “Come on, Marco. I think we should give Thomas and Robert some time to chat.”

Marco smirks. “Sure. Would you like to dance?”

And with that they quickly disappear in the mass of people on the dance floor.

Robert chuckles. “Look at them, they are already behaving like a couple.”

“Yeah, it’s disgusting.” Thomas meant to make it sound like a joke, but it turns out bitter.

Robert meets his eyes warily. “So you still haven’t overcome whatever has been bothering you. I thought you were making progress.”

Thomas sighs. “Yeah, I still haven’t figured it out. Not completely.”

Robert is silent for a moment before leaning against the edge of the counter behind him, his whole body facing Thomas now. “Okay, let me help you with your deduction, Sherlock. What do you have already?”

Thomas has to grin at Robert’s eagerness, but sobers when he tries to explain. “Not much. All I know is that it’s got to do with you.”

“You said you feel overprotective when it comes to me?” Robert asks. “What did you mean by that?”

Thomas drops his eyes. “Do you remember Manu hugging you in our little test match?”  
“Of course I do, that’s when your strange behavior started.”

“Well, I was only losing control of myself when I saw Manu groping you.”

Robert blinks in confusion. “Groping me? What are you talking about?”

“Come on, Robert, you were there! And I’ve seen the look Manu gave you right after. He’s so madly into you, I wouldn’t have been surprised if you two got it on as soon as you were alone together.”

Thomas bites his lip as soon as the words leave his mouth. He hasn’t meant to be so direct; after all it’s none of his business.

Robert looks at him as though Thomas has gone crazy. “You think there’s something going on between me and Manu?” He manages to sound both hollow and pissed off at the same time.

Thomas only nods, unable to form words while Robert continues.

“Did you hear anything of what I told you the day before?! I thought I made it very clear that I am in love with _you_.”

“But you also said you like blonds and since Marco is out of the picture-“

The cold look on Robert’s face effectively silences him.

“You think I’d just go to the next good-looking person and move on? Then I’m sorry, but I have to tell you that neither am I interested in Marco nor is anything going on between me and Manu.” His gaze softens and turns melancholic when he adds, “It’s not that easy to fall out of love with you.”

Thomas doesn’t know what to say. On the one hand he feels entirely stupid for underestimating Robert’s feelings and on the other hand he doesn’t know how to deal with the warm feeling spreading in his chest at Robert’s confession.

Suddenly Manuel returns, balancing five full glasses between his fingers.

“Sorry for the long wait, that bartender seems to be new to the job.”

Robert takes one of the glasses with a small smile while looking at Thomas. “No, it’s alright. It seems Thomas and I had to clear up a few misunderstandings.”

He doesn’t elaborate further and Manuel looks between them insecurely before apparently choosing to drop the matter and handing one glass to Thomas.

“Where have Marco and Mario gone to?”

Thomas points towards the dance floor and they watch the pair amusedly. After a few vigorous songs there’s a slower one starting now and Marco seems to be trying to persuade Mario into doing a slow dance while the younger man is blushing crimson and moving his hands in a way that’s probably meant to convey that he has never properly learnt it.

Thomas grins at them - they’re too cute after all - when Manuel turns to him excitedly. “Would you mind if I borrowed Robert for a minute?”

Thomas frowns in confusion, but Manuel doesn’t even wait for answer. Instead he turns to Robert and extends his hand. “Would you give me the honor of a dance with you?” He grins at his own choice of words while Robert stares at him perplexed.

His eyes meet Thomas’. “I don’t think that’s a good-“

“Oh come on, please! It’s just a dance and besides, somebody needs to show those two idiots how it’s done.”

“Well, if you put it like that…” Robert mumbles hesitantly, but Manuel already grabs his hand and pulls him towards the dance floor.

Thomas ignores the sour feeling in his stomach as he watches the two of them joining Marco and Mario on the dance floor.

Manuel instantly puts his arms around Robert who is looking over to Thomas, apparently overwhelmed.

Thomas tries to concentrate on Marco’s and Mario’s sorry excuse of a slow dance, but his eyes are drawn back to Robert when Manuel pulls him closer and his hands drop so low that they are lightly resting on Robert’s ass. Robert frowns at Manuel before once again looking at Thomas almost panicked. Thomas can’t blame him, after all he just said that Manuel touching Robert somehow bothers him. Of course Robert is worried that Thomas is going to freak out again.

He downs the shot in his hand, but it doesn’t help at all. He watches while Manuel is leaning forward until his forehead is touching Robert’s and their lips are just inches apart. Upon their sudden proximity Robert’s eyes snap back to Manuel and he freezes, probably in anticipation of a kiss.

Thomas saves himself the pain and turns away.

Robert may have said that there’s nothing going on between him and Manuel, but obviously that’s just a matter of time.

And Thomas has to admit that it’s probably better this way. Manuel has always been more mature, more responsible and is therefore a much better fit to Robert than Thomas could ever be.

And in that moment of sudden clarity he finally understands what’s happening to him. He’s in love.

The egoistic part of him wants to turn back and shout it out for all the people to hear, but the other part hesitates. What will happen if he does?

It may work out for a while. But what about the long run?

Thomas is the kind of guy who lives for the moment; he doesn’t plan more than a year ahead. And Robert seems to be the exact opposite, someone who has aimed his life goals since his youth. A lasting relationship is probably one of them. And he deserves someone who can give that to him.

So Thomas doesn’t say anything. Instead he leaves the club to escape the sudden feeling of despair suffocating him…


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, the last chapter of this story.  
> I'm extremely nervous about it and I'm curious how guys take it...

 

The next morning he contemplates skipping training, but Pep is already miffed enough with him, so there’s no way out if he wants to avoid consequences.

He makes it through without incident by completely avoiding Manuel and Robert though he can feel both of them looking at him questioningly. He doesn’t want to imagine what happened after he left…

When Pep calls it a day and all players return to the showers, Thomas does a few additional exercises to buy himself more time. He knows he’s being a coward, but he really doesn’t want to see Robert naked and get confirmation of his suspicions by spotting a hickey on the Pole’s skin.

He notices Mario trotting over to him.

“Robert was worried about you last night. You were gone all of a sudden.”

Thomas hates that treacherous part of him which revels in the knowledge that Robert cared.

“I was tired.”

“Funny,” Mario replies innocently. “Cause before we arrived at the club, you seemed to be very eager for a bit of fun.”

Sometimes Thomas detests Marco’s obvious influence on Mario. Especially when the latter is being such an annoying smartass.

“Can’t you just let me be?”

Mario snorts. “And let you wallow in self-pity? Not really. Now get into the shower before Pep discovers you’re still out here.”

“Robert is in there,” Thomas argues and feels like a petulant child.

“Yes and he will also be there tomorrow and the day after and the rest of the season. You can’t hide from him forever.”

“I’m not hiding,” he argues though it sounds ridiculous in this situation.

Mario raises his eyebrow and Thomas gives in with a sigh.

He leaves the field, not even bothering to ask why Mario doesn’t follow him as well. Most of his teammates are already dressed and talking animatedly in the locker room. No one pays him any attention as he walks to the back of the corridor where the showers are.

He has just taken his shirt off when he hears familiar voices coming from one the showers.

“Seriously, Manu, cut it out!” It’s Robert and he sounds irked.

There’s a sudden thump that sounds an awful lot like a body being pushed against a wall. Thomas eyes the exit because he so does _not_ want to be here while the man he’s in love with is fucking someone else. He’s halfway there when he hears Robert again.

“Manu, what the hell are you doing?!” His voice is high-pitched and panicked now.

“Come on, Robert, why not? We’re alone in here, no one is going to hear us, I promise.” Manuel’s voice is muffled and unable to drown out the loud sound of Robert’s rapid breathing echoing in the room. It’s a scary sound Thomas has never heard before. Before he can think about it, he has crossed the room and reached the pair around the corner. What he sees there, isn’t entirely what he expected and makes his insides turn to ice.

Manuel has Robert backed up against the wall, lifting the smaller man up with his hands under Robert’s thighs while the striker is pushing against Manuel’s chest to no avail.

Both men haven’t noticed Thomas yet who is frozen in place by the scene in front of him. It looks so wrong, like a distortion of what it is supposed to be. It looks like Manuel is forcing himself on Robert.

Thomas is yanked out of his state of shock when Manuel’s lips hover over Robert’s throat before he is biting down hard. Robert jerks and his wince of pain flips a switch inside of Thomas’ head.

He’s by Robert’s side before he can even think about forming words and his fist hits Manuel’s head, effectively separating the two naked men.

The hard punch puts Manuel down and Thomas is so driven by rage that he would have followed it up with a second or third one, but the sudden separation has caused Robert to slump forward against Thomas.

Thomas catches him around the waist to hold him up. “Are you okay?”

Robert nods before frowning down at Manuel. “What the hell just happened?”

Manuel groans while he tries to sit up. “From the force of your blow, I’d say I’ve succeeded.” He gives Robert an apologetic look before raising his voice. “Or what do you think, guys?”

Thomas turns around and finds Mario and Philipp standing there witch matching smiles of satisfaction.

Mario grins smugly. “Of course you succeeded. It was my idea after all.”

Philipp looks scandalized though. “Excuse me, _your_ idea? Do I have to remind you that I was the one suggesting Manu?”

“Okay, let’s say it was _our_ idea.”

Thomas can’t believe what he’s hearing right now. “Hold on, you staged all of this?!”

It’s Manuel who answers him. “Yes. And I wouldn’t have had to resort to such drastic means if you had played your part.”

“What?” Thomas asks dumbfounded.

“In the club yesterday, when I pulled Robert onto the dance floor. You were supposed to come onto the stage all guns blazing and punch my face right then and there. But no, you decide to disappear quietly, leaving me no choice but to go all the way through.” Manuel turns to Robert again. “For which I’m really sorry by the way. Obviously I wouldn’t have gone further than kissing.”

Robert looks almost relieved. “Well, at least I finally got an explanation for your strange behavior. You were really freaking me out.”

Manuel ducks his head sheepishly while Philipp waves his hand impatiently at them. “All right, enough of the explaining, please tell me we haven’t gone through all this trouble for nothing.”

Thomas has to stifle his laughter. “Yeah, the last week was quite enlightening.” His eyes meet Robert’s and he feels a strange calmness overcoming him. “Would you give us a moment?”

He can feel Philipp staring at him indignantly. “Wait, you can’t withhold the best moment from us.”

The corners of Robert’s mouth quirk up in amusement and Thomas finds it irritatingly distracting.

He hears Mario chuckle while Manuel responds, “Let’s leave them a bit of privacy. I give you one month before you start complaining about them being disgustingly cute together.” He helps Mario drag their protesting captain out of the room, but just before he disappears, he adds, “Because of you two idiots I have to run around with a black eye now, so I hope it’s really been worth it and you make out like there’s no tomorrow.”

Thomas laughs and watches the blond disappear before turning back to Robert. “We don’t deserve that kind of friends.”

“No, we don’t,” Robert agrees softly before licking his lips; a movement that draws Thomas’ attention down to his mouth again.

“You know, I’m sorry for being such an idiot. I should have realized sooner that I’m in love with you.”

Robert closes his eyes. “Say that again.”

“What? That I’m in love with you?”

“Hm,” Robert agrees with a small smile spreading on his lips.

The sight makes Thomas feel more victorious than any goal ever could. “I love you.”

That beautiful smile widens and Thomas can’t resist any more. He leans forward until his lips touch Robert’s softly. Cerulean eyes flutter open in a mix of surprise and shock, then Robert’s hands are caressing his face and pulling him closer again. “Do that again.”

Thomas smiles at the desperate tone of Robert’s voice. “Are you always this bossy?”

“Sometimes,” Robert answers vaguely before sealing their lips again. Thomas groans at the pleasure spreading in his groin and now he’s the one pushing Robert up against the wall. The Pole is meeting his thrusts eagerly and Thomas pulls back slightly to chuckle quietly. “You know if we keep going at this speed, I won’t last another five minutes.”

Robert smiles again and Thomas is convinced now that he will never get enough of that joyful and carefree look on Robert’s face. “Alright, no sex in the shower yet. Got it.”

Robert sighs and moves away from Thomas who feels his self-restraint diminishing at the sight of Robert walking away even if it’s just to get dressed. “However, we promised Manu we’d make out like there’s no tomorrow, right?”

Robert looks at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes glinting in desire. Thomas adds, “It would be a shame if we had to tell him we backed out at the last minute.”

Robert smirks at him in the mirror. “Then shut up and kiss me.”

And Thomas gladly obliges…

\-------------

Thomas relaxes when he feels Robert running his fingers absentmindedly through his unruly hair. When he turns his head to the side, he can see Marco bursting out into laughter at something Mario whispered into his ear.

“Were we this obvious too?”

Robert’s hand stills as he watches the scene curiously.

Marco is giggling into Mario’s shoulder now, apparently unable to compose himself while Mario watches him with a wide smile.

Robert chuckles amusedly. “I think it’s hard getting even more obvious than those two. I give them three months.”

Thomas shakes his head. “This has been going on for years now, so apparently they are too blind to realize that they are in love with each other. I would be surprised if things had changed by the end of next season.”

Robert hums thoughtfully and begins stroking Thomas’ head again. “You think we should help them out a bit?”  
  
Thomas turns his head to the side slightly and puts a soft kiss to the inside of Robert’s wrist. “Definitely.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it. The story has come to a close. It feels weird, knowing I won't be able to make updates on this one, but eventually all good things come to an end...
> 
> Thank you for the amazing response I've got for this story! I never imagined that my crazy little idea would transform into something this huge. I'm kind of feeling like Thomas right now... ;) 
> 
> I'm still working on "Let the Right One In" and like I mentioned before, I have an idea for another Müllendowski fic but I don't know yet when I will be able to start writing it.

**Author's Note:**

> Any form of feedback is highly appreciated! :)


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